Think you're due for twins?

These are the twins when they were almost 3 years old at a wedding.

As the "self-appointed minister of how twins are caused", and because I care, please allow me to set the record straight on when someone might be "due" for twins/multiples.

I don't get mad or upset when I hear people proclaim myths like the following three, I just want to let the world know they are myths:

-'Cause twins skip a generation, I am due for having twins in my family.

-My dad (or someone on dad's side of the family) is a twin, so I will probably have twins.

-I have three sets of identical twins in my family history, so I will likely have twins, too.

My goal is to spread the word to those who do not realize that when they say things like this, they are perpetuating the myths about twins. I intend no harm, in fact quite the opposite. Those who believe these myths are putting themselves through unnecessary worry and concern about having twins. Or unnecessary excitement at the prospects of having twins (which is a whole other blog post in itself). I am simply attempting to put an end to the heartache they are causing themselves with worrying.

So without further ado, here are the facts:

-Twin pregnancies do NOT skip generations. It is simply a matter of odds that may make it appear that way.

-Fraternal twin pregnancies are caused by two eggs being fertilized by two sperm forming two embryos. They are no more than siblings being born at the same time OR "wombmates." The genetically caused occurrence of a woman releasing two eggs at once to produce fraternal twins can ONLY be passed from mother to daughter(a woman's age or chance can also be factors, but these are not genetic causes). Men have no effect in fraternal twins, except maybe over-zealous super-swimmers that find both eggs and fertilize them. Therefore, genetically speaking, fraternal twins cannot come from the father's side of the family, only the mother's side.

-As I stated above, aside from genetically passed-on conditions from mother to daughter, AGE is also a common cause for fraternal twins. Women are born with all the eggs they will have in their lives. As they age, so do their eggs. This signals the body to release more eggs as a woman faces menopause to get rid of all those she has not used yet. A woman's chances of multiples are much greater after the age of 35. AND, because we are living healthier these days, women's' eggs are healthier, too, which makes the occurrence of viable conception over age 35 much more common. This reason alone, could be why we are seeing more twins lately.

-Without genetic history of twins, without age factors, a woman's body just simply decide to release more than one egg during a cycle. No reason, just CHANCE can cause a woman to have multiples and it can happen to anyone at any age.

-Identical twins are NOT genetically passed through a family. Just because someone has a set of identical twins in your family history, does not mean that you have any greater chance of having identical or fraternal twins than anyone else. Here is why, identical twins/multiples are, quite frankly, freaks of nature and completely random. No offense, REALLY. They just occur when one egg, fertilized by one sperm, splits on a certain day in a certain way early in the pregnancy and becomes two embryos. It's that simple! Genetics cannot possibly signal an egg to split on a certain day, in a certain way, it just happens. Furthermore, if the eggs splits during a certain HOUR of pregnancy in a certain way, that is how conjoined twins occur, hence their rare occurrence. Proof of identical multiples randomness is shown because their occurrences have remained about the same since studies on twins/multiples began.

So their it is. The truth about twins as I have committed it to memory from my extensive reading of books and articles on multiples, research through conversations with my twins club sisters, and doctors visits during my own twin pregnancy. To the best of my knowledge, these are the facts in laymans terms (because that is the only way I could remember them) on the cause of twins. There may be more in depth reasons, explanations and causes for multiples in more scientific terms, but this it how I know to word it so all can help my cause of dispelling the myths about twins/multiples occurrences.